Better Late Than Never
by LiveLaughLove728
Summary: When a carefree afternoon with Annabeth's family is rudely interrupted by a monster attack, the secret the Chases have been keeping from the twins for so long is out and Annabeth is left with no choice but to tell her little brothers the truth.


**Hey guys! So, this idea just kinda came to me a while back and I finally got around to putting it into words. It didn't really come out the way I'd thought it would, but what are you gonna do? **

**I've had a poll up on my profile for a few weeks now about upcoming stories that I want your opinion on, like whether to even bother writing them or not. This story was on there and it won because of the 2 entire people that voted, but I'm guessing that's probably because no one really knew about it. Sorry, I had no way to really get the word out. However, I have changed the poll slightly and I still would love you guys' opinion, so if you could, after you finish reading this, head over to my profile and let me know what you think. I'd really appreciate it!**

**Anyway, that's really it, so, without further ado, here is the story:**

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><p>Annabeth sat on the back porch steps of her parents' house in San Francisco, watching as Percy threw a football back and forth with her twin brothers, who alternated between catching, throwing, and trash-talking the other. The two of them, now thirteen, reminded her a lot of some of the younger demigods at Camp Half-Blood, the age group she had spent the better part of her life around and was more comfortable with, than the little kids her brothers had been classified as just a few years earlier. They had recruited Percy to join them outside about half an hour earlier and she had followed, intent on watching and enjoying the nice day.<p>

It was mid-November, just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, and Annabeth and Percy were spending the weekend with her parents, getting away from New Rome for the weekend, where the two of them were about three months into their freshmen year, attending the university there. Even with living so close to the Chases' home in San Francisco now, Annabeth didn't get to see them very often, on account of college being busy and mortals not being allowed inside Camp Jupiter. Things had been pretty quiet for both Percy and Annabeth that past week though, and they had decided it was a good time to finally go.

At some point during the boys' game, Frederick and Theresa, Annabeth's dad and stepmom, had made their way out onto the porch as well and sat together at the outdoor table, watching them and talking quietly. It was probably the most peaceful things had been for Annabeth in a while.

She'd brought a book out with her, but had given up reading it pretty quickly, in favor of watching the football game instead, her ADHD not allowing for anything else at the moment. Over the years, she'd gotten pretty good at tuning out the world while reading, despite the hyperactive half-blood in her. But right now, she didn't care enough to really try.

She loved watching Percy with her brothers, with kids in general (although the twins didn't really count at such anymore). He was so good with them and they loved him. Bobby and Matthew had adored him from the first time they'd met him, which Annabeth hadn't even been around for. It made her happy, every time, to see him interacting with them. He'd make a great father one day.

"Hey, Annabeth!" Percy's voice broke her out of her peaceful thoughts. She looked over to see him looking at her, football in hand. Before she'd even met his gaze, the ball had already left his grasp and was spiraling though the air toward her. She reached up and caught the football out of the air before even bothering to stand up to throw it back. Percy's grin was easygoing as he caught it. Matthew and Bobby looked shocked.

"_You _can throw a football?" the latter demanded.

"Of course she can," Percy answered for her, tossing it to him in turn. He was right. After all the training she'd done and the wars she'd fought in, and the Athena genes she had, of _course_ she could catch and throw a football, if for no other reason then because it was a simple mathematical calculation. The twins, however, wouldn't know that. And they really hadn't seen enough of her in their lives to know, which was sad but true.

"No, but seriously," Matthew spoke up, "That was, like, perfect."

"What, did you doubt my ability or something?" Annabeth chided, smiling.

"Maybe," Matthew replied, his shocked expression turning into a grin. "Maybe I still do. Do it again."

Annabeth cocked an eyebrow but smiled as she walked into the yard and toward where they stood, stopping to stand about twenty feet from them. "Alright, fine." Bobby threw the ball at her, clearly trying for hard and fast to make it difficult. Annabeth caught it easily, allowing an amused grin to cross her face as she threw it back to him, just as hard, and grinned wider when he barely caught it. A perfect spiral.

"Well, alright then," Matthew said, sounding impressed. Always a gratifying scenario.

"Wanna play with us?" Bobby asked.

Still smiling, Annabeth answered, "Sure." Percy met her eyes across the yard and grinned crookedly. She smiled back.

"We have four now. We could do two-on-two," Bobby announced, oblivious to their exchange. They all agreed.

They teamed up, Matthew and Percy against Annabeth and Bobby. The latter had been disappointed with this arrangement, but quickly changed his mind after Annabeth gained them a point from the very first play.

The game went on like that for a while, with, Annabeth noted, Frederick and Theresa looking on with smiling faces.

The teams were pretty evenly matched and the score stayed pretty close. It was supposed to be "touch" football, which was the only kind Theresa would allow, though the twins did get a little violent with each other at times, and at one point, Annabeth caught a pass from Bobby and got about halfway across their "field" before Percy grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her and spinning her in a circle until they were both laughing and the twins were complaining about PDA, as if they had any real clue at all about what that was.

They reached the last play with the score tied 7-7 and Annabeth starting with the ball. They began, the three spreading out from her in anticipation of her move and she was about to pass the football to Bobby when she stopped for just a second in startled dread. Percy was jogging hurriedly backward, glancing quickly to Matthew for obvious confirmation of something, and not looking behind him as a familiar, unfriendly creature-a gryphon-was stalking quickly toward him.

"Percy!" she yelled, eyes wide. Thankfully, he knew from her tone to look behind him instead of at her. All their years fighting together had taught him that, at least, but the monster was still too close. He wouldn't be able to do anything in time.

Annabeth did the fastest thing she could think of: she threw the football at its head. It was a futile attempt, it didn't do much, but it was enough. The gryphon stumbled back half a step in surprise, giving Percy the chance he needed to dance out of the way and get Riptide out.

"Anna-!" Bobby began to protest; horrified at her destruction of the play, completely unaware of the immediate danger he and his brother were in. Annabeth was already running, fishing her dagger out of the waistband of her jeans.

"Get out of here!" she yelled at him and Matthew, not taking the time to see that they did, but praying they were smart enough to listen. She was almost to where Percy had started swinging at the monster with Riptide; maybe two seconds had passed. She glanced to the side of her, where her parents were just getting to their feet, realizing what was going on. She met her dad's eyes, doing her best to shout _I'm so sorry_ as vehemently as she could with her expression before she had to turn back to face their opponent. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but she thought she saw him nod.

She didn't have her hat on her-it was upstairs in her room, so invisibility wasn't an option. Their go-to plan was out the window for this one. They would be okay without it. It wasn't the first time. Annabeth had never fought a gryphon before, but she knew Percy had. She came to stand a few feet to his right, just as his sword slipped slightly and the gryphon got in a lucky hit, lashing out with its claw and slicing into and down his cheek. Blood appeared immediately and he cried out once in surprised pain, but didn't back down.

Annabeth had already taken advantage of the opening the monster had given her and drove her knife into its side, frustratingly missing anything vital. It reared toward her, unexpectedly fast, screeching furiously in pain, and would have carved her in two with its beak if Percy hadn't gone on the offense at the same time. "Hey, Ugly!" he yelled angrily as bright blood dripped down his cheek, "You came after _me_, remember?" He stabbed his sword up through the monster's chest, a clean attack, and with one last ear-shattering shriek, it exploded into dust, which the wind carrying across the lawn, where it settled like a layer of golden glitter, sparkling in the afternoon sun.

The world was silent as she took a breath and then ran to where Percy stood, ripping a large piece from his already torn, bloodied shirt, and lifting it to his face, which was bleeding pretty impressively.

"_Di Immortales,_" he muttered, still not looking quite over the surprise of the gryphon yet in the first place. "You okay?"

"Me? Have you seen yourself lately, Seaweed Brain?" She spoke calmly. After some of the injuries she'd seen, his was nothing, just a nasty flesh wound. And as long as he got some Ambrosia in him, it wouldn't scar.

"No, actually," Percy answered in the same tone, and then more serious, asked, "How bad is it? It's bleeding a lot." He lifted the already-blood-soaked shirt piece from his cheek for emphasis.

She came closer and examined it. Even in the second he head lifted his makeshift bandage away, more blood had oozed out. "You'll be okay." She said, digging in her pocket for the Ambrosia she always had on her for emergencies such as this. It was pretty squished and crumbled, but it was Ambrosia all the same. She unwrapped it from its plastic wrap and continued, "Lucky it's your cheek and not something else. That thing just missed your eye." Percy opened his mouth and she placed the deformed square casually in it, watching as he chewed it. She waited a few seconds before pulling the bandage away, relieved to see the wound beginning to close. "Put some water on it. That will heal it some more."

Percy gave her the best amused look he could with the injury to his face. "Thank you, Mom," he said, "I think I've got it."

She gave him a look of her own, trying not to smile. Percy grinned in response and quickly brought his lips to hers in a quick, gentle kiss that tasted of blood.

They turned toward the house and Annabeth could see Bobby and Matthew standing just inside the open sliding glass door, watching them with identical looks of horror and shock. Her father stood just beyond them, in the kitchen. He caught her eye, his expression unreadable. Theresa was out of sight. Annabeth's heart sank. She'd been doing so well these past few years in the monster department. Now, she wondered if the relationship she'd managed to salvage with her family was gone for good, just like that. She was more upset by the thought than she would've liked to admit.

"It'll be alright," Percy murmured to her, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently as they walked. Annabeth shifted her gaze to meet his, but said nothing.

They stopped at the side of the porch, where the garden hose was wound neatly. Percy pulled his ruined shirt off and tossed it to the ground at his feet, along with the piece he'd been holding to his face, before turning it on and cleaning the remaining blood from his body. He held it on his injured cheek last, letting the water soak the wound and heal it the rest of the way. After a minute, all that remained of the previously bloody gash was a thin, red line, and even that would fade soon. He turned the knob, stopping the flow of water, and returned the hose to its holder.

He straightened, completely dry, taking the shirt in one hand, and looked at her, bare-chested, his gaze questioning. "Ready?" he asked gently, offering her his hand.

Annabeth took a deep breath and nodded, linking her fingers with his. "Here goes nothing."

"It'll be okay," he told her once more. Annabeth didn't reply as they walked back around to the steps.

Her father was waiting on the porch for them, but he didn't look angry or disappointed, as Annabeth would have thought he would. He looked expectant, almost…excited. She and Percy stopped a few feet from him, waiting. He looked at each of them, settling on Percy first. "Your face looks much better," he said easily, "That gash looked nasty, even from here."

"Uh, yeah, it's fine now, thanks. Ambrosia did the trick."

Frederick nodded. "Good to hear. The boys are in the living room," he said, looking between them, "I told them you would explain."

Annabeth blinked, surprised. She never really knew what to expect from her father, but she definitely hadn't anticipated this. "You want us to tell them the truth?"

He shrugged. "I don't see any other option, do you? They're old enough now. I think it's the best option." He paused and then, noticing Annabeth's unease, added, "Theresa agrees."

Slowly, Annabeth nodded. She glanced at Percy beside her and then back to her father He was serious. And he was also right. Matthew and Bobby had a right to know. They weren't kids anymore. She'd been thinking the same thing herself just a little while earlier. "Okay," she said.

Her dad nodded too, allowing a small smile. "Alright," he said, and then to Percy, "Go ahead and get changed first. Have either of you done this before? I don't know how long it will take. Do you have an extra shirt?"

Percy cracked a smirk. "We may have done it once or twice. And yeah, I learned a long time ago to always carry an extra change of clothes."

"Alright, good." Percy, clearly taking that as the okay to leave, squeezed Annabeth's hand quickly before letting go and turning to head inside.

Annabeth continued looking at her dad. "Are you sure?" she asked.

He nodded, moving to place his hands on her shoulders. "It has to happen sometime, Annabeth. I don't want you to have to hide anymore. It was a mistake to make you do so in the first place. Okay?"

That was approaching the most affection Frederick Chase showed. Slowly, Annabeth nodded again, partly awed.

Percy was descending the stairs just as they made their way inside. He walked to Annabeth's side, meeting her eyes, a silent question in them. She nodded. He took her hand, squeezed it, and let it go again, before following her into the living room with her father trailing behind him.

Matthew and Bobby sat on the couch in the living room, completely silent for probably the first time in their lives. Theresa stood off to the side. She watched them approach, but she didn't look angry, as she always had years back when a monster would attack and she would blame her stepdaughter for it. That, alone, made Annabeth feel better. The boys looked up as Percy and Annabeth entered the room and watched them, identical brown eyes full of obvious questions and apprehension. Two recliners sat opposite the couch. Annabeth sat down in one, Percy, the other. Frederick leaned in the doorway.

For a solid thirty seconds, the room was completely silent.

"What… what was that thing?" Matthew asked timidly.

"And why did you kill it?" Bobby added.

"_How _did you kill it?"

"Weren't you bleeding?"

"What are-"

"Okay!" Annabeth interrupted Matthew's latest question, "I-We'll explain everything, alright? But you have to listen, okay?"

"We're listening," Matthew answered, rather sharply, "Go."

Annabeth took a steadying breath, wishing Percy were sitting closer to her. She always felt more confident with him by her side. "Alright," she said, glancing beside her and meeting his eyes for a moment before looking back at her brothers. "Have you guys learned about Ancient Greece in social studies yet?" She remembered her teacher touching on it a bit in the few months she'd spent away from Camp Half-Blood when she was younger, attending an actual public middle school. Hopefully the twins' had too.

Matthew and Bobby looked at each other, obviously confused by the question, and then turned back to her again, looking dubious. "Yeah," Bobby answered, "Last year."

"Plus, you know how Dad is," Matthew added, "He talks about that kind of stuff all the time."

"Why?" Bobby inquired.

"So you know about the myths then? The gods?"

"Yeah, a little bit. Why?" Matthew demanded, "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Matthew," their father chided from his spot in the doorway, "Let her explain."

Annabeth glanced at him and then back at the boys. "Well," she said, "Those myths…" She trailed off, not sure how to say it without sounding completely crazy. She'd only ever told newcomers to camp the truth, and with that, the best route was the direct one. But she wasn't sure if the same thing applied here.

Percy glanced at her and then finished her sentence for her. "The myths are true." He spoke earnestly, completely serious, and faced the twins dead-on. Annabeth hadn't been there when his step-dad, Paul, had learned the truth, and she'd never really asked for the details of it, but she could imagine it now, looking something similar to this.

Matthew and Bobby just looked at him, beyond skeptical. "_What?_" Bobby demanded.

At the same time, Matthew said, "_Excuse me?_"

"They're true," Annabeth repeated, elaborating, "The gods, the monsters, the heroes, all of that is real, or was at some point."

"You're joking, right?" Matthew questioned, utterly disbelieving.

"No," Annabeth answered him, "I'm not." Matthew looked at her for another second and then at Percy, before apparently remembering that he was in on this too. Their parents gave nothing away. He looked back at her. Meanwhile, Bobby simply looked between Percy and Annabeth, the gears clearly turning, trying to make sense of their words. His face made it hard to tell if he was succeeding or not.

"Okay," Bobby spoke finally, "So, let's say we believe you… What does that have to do with you? With that… whatever-it-was?"

"Well, remember how the gods sometimes came to earth and had kids with mortals?" Both boys thought for a second before nodding.

"They were, like, half-gods," Matthew said, "So?"

"Demigods," Annabeth corrected.

"Whatever. I still don't get what that has to do with anything."

Annabeth took another deep breath and another quick glance at Percy for support. "It has everything to do with it. Because… because Percy and I _are _demigods."

The boys wore identical looked of stupefied disbelief, looking between the two of them, Annabeth calmly meeting their eyes, Percy nodding beside her.

"_What?"_ Bobby said. He looked at his parents in turn, both of whom nodded in confirmation of her words as well.

"You heard me," Annabeth said calmly. Bobby still looked doubtful. Beside him, Matthew looked to be questioning their sanity. She ventured on, "Athena is my mom. Percy's dad is Poseidon. We aren't crazy."

Bobby paused at her words and something in his expression changed slightly. "I… guess that would make sense…" Beside him, his brother turned to look at him like he was crazy as well. "What?" he defended himself to Matthew, "It would. Athena is the goddess of, like, intelligence, right? I mean, she's _Annabeth._ She's,like, a genius."

Percy, who had been nearly silent the whole time, started laughing at this. The twins looked at him, Bobby with a small smile of his own. Annabeth reached over with her foot and lightly kicked her boyfriend's leg. "Wisdom, actually," she corrected, turning back to Bobby and Matthew, "And battle strategy."

Bobby looked on the verge of believing. Matthew didn't seem as convinced, though his resolve seemed to be wavering slightly as he thought about it. The latter set his look on them again. "Prove it," he said finally.

Percy didn't miss a beat, standing to his feet. "I'm on it," he announced before leaving the living room. From their angle, the twins could see him as he walked into the kitchen. Annabeth knew what he was going to do, even before she heard the faucet turn on. He returned thirty seconds later with a glass of water. "See this?" he asked the boys, setting it down on the coffee table in front of them. They eyed it, though they had seen him get it from the sink.

"A cup of water," Matthew answered slowly, like he was talking to a mental person. His tone would have grated on Annabeth's nerves, but Percy seemed unaffected.

"Exactly," he answered nonchalantly, "Do you know what Poseidon is the god of?"

"Yeah, the sea. There's a movie about him."

Percy nodded. "God of the sea, storms, earthquakes, and bad Hawaiian shirts." He finished speaking and wasted no time in proceeding with his demonstration. He bent his arm up, palm down, so the twins could clearly see. His eyes not leaving theirs, he flicked his hand around, turning it palm up, and every last drop of water left the glass on the table and began spiraling atop his open palm; his own pocket-sized hurricane. The twins' eyes widened and heir jaws dropped in perfect synchronization. Percy wore only a satisfied smirk, which Annabeth found herself mimicking. "Believe her now?" he asked. Matthew and Bobby, still gaping openly, nodded feverishly. Percy smiled wider, "Alright," and returned the water to its glass, giving it one last twirl on the way back for good measure. He returned to his seat without another word, leaving the water where it was on the table.

The second he sat down, Matthew snatched the glass up in his hands and set to examining it thoroughly, as if Percy had somehow rigged it, though he'd been in their line of sight the entire time. After few seconds, he set the glass back in its place and joined his brother in staring at them.

It was Matthew who spoke first. "You're… you're demigods."

"That," Bobby said, his expression changing, "is so _cool!_"

"Wait," Matthew said, "So that thing out there, that was, what, a monster? Seriously?"

Percy and Annabeth nodded simultaneously. "A gryphon, actually," she clarified.

"Really?" Bobby asked, "It… didn't look like one. I mean, they do look like that right? Like, giant cat-looking body, wings, bird face, all that? Like in stories?"

"More or less, yeah. Mortals can't see monsters clearly though. The Mist obscures them."

"The mist?" Matthew asked.

Annabeth nodded again. "It's kind of like this invisible veil that prevents humans from seeing the mythological world. It's always been there, you just couldn't see it because of that veil."

Beside her, Percy nodded agreement. "Yeah. There's a good chance you've passed a god on the street and didn't even know it. Probably the Roman version, since Camp Jupiter is so close to here, but still. Now that you know about us though, you'll probably be able to see all that more easily."

"We'll be able to see _gods_?" Bobby demanded.

Percy nodded. "Maybe. Monsters too, probably. Or, you'll know there's something different about them, at least."

"Wait, so if you fight monsters, do you, like, use weapons?" Matthew wanted to know.

Annabeth nodded, and explained about Celestial Bronze and it's lethality to monsters. "You should see your sister with a knife," Percy put in when she finished, grinning at her, "Absolutely terrifying."

"You'd better believe it, Seaweed Brain."

Matthew had piped up again at that, grinning and gesturing to them. "_Now_, the nickname makes sense."

Annabeth laughed. "Don't try using it though. He won't answer you."

Percy nodded. "It's reserved for Annabeth. And sometimes Thalia because she doesn't take no for an answer, but…"

That, of course, would lead to the two of them having to explain who Thalia was, and from there, the "Big Three," camp, quests, the wars they'd been in, the battles they'd won, the places they'd been, the friends they'd lost…

The conversation was long from over, but the hardest part was behind them, and Annabeth found herself breathing easier now. It was like she'd been carrying around the weight of her brothers' ignorance without even knowing it, walking on eggshells around them, as if subconsciously just waiting for something to happen that would blow her carefully guarded secret and ruin everything she'd worked carefully to rebuild between herself and her family. And now she didn't have to anymore. The Chases all knew now, and everything had turned out okay.

Part of her wondered, later that night as she replayed the day in her mind while Percy slept in the room across the hall, if some part of her had always longed for the approval of her family, if maybe, deep down, everyone did, and if pushing it down and away was how she'd coped with not having it; if she'd gotten so good at ridding it from herself that she'd convinced herself that she hadn't needed it after all, if she had convinced herself she'd be okay without it. Only now, that she didn't have to deny it anymore, did she realize that it definitely had not been okay, that it was only okay now, with her family knowing and accepting her for who she was, now that she didn't have to hide anymore.

Now, everything was truly okay, and even if it had taken nineteen years to get to that point, it was better late than never.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Hopefully you enjoyed it. I'd love to know your thoughts! Leave a review, if you'd be so kind!<br>**

**And don't forget to go vote in the poll in my profile so I can know what to write next! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns all rights to the characters used in this story.**


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